Holidays are coming: Are you checking your list twice?

Dec. 11, 2019 / By Michelle Bradley

Whether you run a private practice in a small clinic or are part of a large physician group in a hospital, the turnaround time for your practice requires adequate coding coverage. As the holidays are fast approaching, your coding team may be challenged with managing staffing and keeping current with end of year updates. The holidays can be stressful when it comes to work-life balance, as everyone wants to spend time with their family while also trying to keep up with year-end demands. We all know the cash flow must continue, and that accurate coding of your medical services will ensure prompt payment to your providers. Timely coding keeps production on track help you avoid any backlog.

To maintain your productivity, outsourced coding could be an efficient way for you to keep your facility running smoothly even when your staff is out on holiday.   

Do you face any of these challenges? 

• Have you received multiple time off requests?  
• Do you have enough coding coverage for the holiday season?
• Is your bill hold rising?
• Are you going into the holiday season with a backlog?
• Are your coders trained on the upcoming code set changes?
• Are your coding systems updated for 2020?
• Does your facility have a documented workflow process that is up to date?
• Is it your fiscal year end and are other processes needed? 

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, outsourced coding could be a gift to you this holiday season. Outsourced coding can cater to an on-demand, backlog or long-term medical coding solution and usually requires no long-term commitment. 

Companies that handle medical coding not only tackle the task at hand, but they are also responsible for:  

• Training the coders
• Certification of the coders
• Ensuring quality of the coders
• Managing schedules of the coders

Ensure you’re making a comprehensive list and checking it twice. Make a New Year’s Resolution: start 2020 with a clean slate, make sure all your medical coding stays current while still enjoying the holiday season. 

Michelle Bradley is a client manager for Outsourced Coding Services at 3M Health Information Systems.

Maintain productivity even while your team enjoys the holidays.